A philanthropist is a person who gives a large amount of money to help people who are poor or in trouble, or to public goods like hospitals, schools, and the arts. The dictionary picture is “a rich person who helps the poor,” and that is how newspapers almost always use it. Though actually, in theory the word could fit anyone who gives in that spirit; in real use it sticks to wealthy donors, often the kind whose names end up on buildings. It is a respectful word, not a joke, and it names the person — not the money and not the adjective.

慈善家